Rhetoric in the Language of the Holy Quran

By: Assistant Professor Dr. Nada Sami Naser
Dean of the College of Education
Rhetoric in the language of the Quran is considered a field where linguistics intertwines with criticism, and the sciences of meaning, eloquence, and rhetoric converge under the umbrella of "composition" as the unifying principle of expression and contextual significance. The Quran does not present its eloquence in the form of an independent verbal ornament. Instead, it organizes the phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and semantic elements into a tightly woven network that conveys meaning in the shortest and most impactful way. And this is why Abdul Qahir al-Jurjani believed that the place of miraculousness is not in the isolated word, but in its relationships when they are composed and arranged, where meaning is generated from the formulation of relationships, not merely from the juxtaposition of words.
The rhetorical formation begins at the phonetic level, where pauses, rhythm, and the use of soft and hard letters collaborate to create an emotional response that precedes analytical awareness of meaning. The regularity of the verse endings in short surahs like "Ad-Duha" and "Al-Lail" establishes a rhythm that is not limited to auditory music but takes on a semantic function: the similarity in the endings of the verses reinforces the progression of the argument. It solidifies its strength, while the use of voiced and voiceless consonants colors the psychological impression. The delicate succession in the verse: {So as for the orphan, do not oppress [him] * And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him]} spreads an atmosphere of gentleness that aligns with the moral intent of the text. Conversely, strong sounds are employed to convey a sense of power or awe in passages that warn of impending doom or depict cosmic events. This collaboration between sound and meaning makes the internal music part of the argument, not an embellishment added later.
At the morphological level, eloquence is evident in the precise selection of weights and their temporal measures. The shift from the present tense to the past or vice versa is not an arbitrary movement; rather, it signals the perspective of the discourse and its psychological time. The present tense brings the action to the forefront and sustains its movement, while the past tense segments the event and documents it as if it were witnessed firsthand. And from here comes the rhetorical value of the shift of pronouns and the transformations of discourse—known as "iltifat"—which awakens the listener and renews the perspective. In Surah Al-Fatiha, the discourse begins with praising the absent {All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds} and then turns to addressing the addressee directly {You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help}, as if the listener has transitioned from mere introduction to a covenant, and from contemplation to a direct pledge. This transformation is not merely a stylistic variation, but it also accompanies a shift in the communicative function: from praise to commitment.
As for the science of meanings, eloquence is manifested in the precision of the context: placing what deserves to be delayed in the forefront, the use of definite and indefinite articles, omission and brevity, and linking sentences according to the requirements of the occasion. The precedence of elements can indicate exclusivity at times and emphasis at other times, such as in the phrase {???????? ????????} where the object is placed first to convey exclusivity; there is no worship except for Him. And ellipsis—being a form of brevity—occurs only when the context suffices without the mentioned, thus generating a meaning from silence that is more profound than explicitness. An example of this is that an omitted answer may be understood from the context of exaggeration or reprimand, painting a broader picture in the listener's mind than any single phrase could convey. This type of brevity is considered one of the characteristics of the Qur'anic style, as it balances the economy of words with the richness of meaning.
In the science of rhetoric, the tools of simile, metaphor, and metonymy reveal their dual role of both imagery and cognition. The Quranic metaphor does not merely convey an image, but also transmits a network of characteristics that reclassify the phenomenon in the recipient's consciousness. When falsehood is depicted as the fleeting foam on a torrent, the reader gains not only a transient watery form but also a relationship between heaviness and lightness, permanence and transience, thus establishing a standard for both cognitive and moral evaluation simultaneously. And when physical movement is borrowed for the heart—{the heart finds peace}—it connects psychological perception with a lived sensory experience, bringing the abstract meaning closer to the imagination. And the metaphor, for its part, allows for conveying a meaning while maintaining the concealment of the intended message or delaying it intentionally to stimulate the mind, thus providing layers of significance that vary according to the recipient's experience.
As for the embellishment, it is not a verbal luxury or an ornamental craft, but rather a part of the semantic economy when used appropriately. Paronomasia, antithesis, and antimetabole work to attract attention and highlight conceptual contrasts without compromising the integrity of the meaning. Therefore, if there is an antithesis between guidance and misguidance, or between life and death, the rhythmic progression accompanies the contrast of values and facilitates the establishment of duality in the mind. And rhyme—when it occurs in the context of storytelling or admonition—contributes to the coherence of the structure and reminds the listener of the semantic knots in each segment. However, the Quran is free from constrained rhyme that imposes meaning on the form; instead, the regularity of the verses follows the meaning, not the other way around.
And the concept of "Nazm," which is the cornerstone, forges close ties between structure, meaning, and context. The Quranic structure is not fully understood unless the connection of the verse with what precedes and follows it is considered, and the relationships of harmony and proportion within a single surah—sometimes in the form of a circular enclosure—make the beginning and the end embrace each other. In a short surah like "Al-Kawthar," all of this intensifies: the brevity of the words, the richness of the meaning, the regularity of the pauses, and the balance of the structure between divine giving, devotional gratitude, and the omission of the enemy's mention, resulting in a complete structure with the minimum of expression. And this is the characteristic of "concise enablement": few words with abundant meaning and skillful management of proportions.
The rhetorical style of the Quran is inseparable from the context of the discourse and the historical moment of its revelation; recalling the reasons for revelation is not merely an interpretative goal, but a rhetorical key to understanding why this particular structure was chosen over others at a specific communicative moment. The Meccan discourse, which is predominantly characterized by faith-based principles and reminders of cosmic signs, tends to be brief, with a strong cadence and expansive cosmic imagery. In contrast, the Medinan discourse, which addresses legislation and community building, leans toward elaboration, detailed rulings, and a gentler tone that suits the context of clarification and codification. Nevertheless, the rhetorical coherence remains present: brevity is used where necessary, elaboration is employed where the argument demands it, and the style is varied according to the speaker, the audience, and the subject.
Among the tools of rhetorical argumentation are rhetorical questions, declarative questions, and exclamations; they shift the listener from a passive recipient to an active participant who responds with their conscience before their tongue. {Is he who creates like him who does not create?} is not just a verbal comparison, but a logical dismantling of the foundation of polytheism through a question that allows for only one answer, which the mind acknowledges before the tongue articulates. Likewise, the oaths contribute to constructing the path of the argument and solidifying its psychological and cognitive premises before presenting the conclusions, so the answer to the oath comes as conclusive proof rather than a fleeting statement.
Rhetoric also manifests in the "harmony of layers"; that is, the text's ability to address multiple levels of awareness and taste. The general reader captures the rhythm, image, and story, the expert extracts the subtleties of the craft through presentation, definition, omission, and inclusion, and the contemplator in the humanities reads the formation of values and standards through grand metaphors. This multiplicity is not a layering of conflicting strata, but rather an integration of levels governed by a single principle: each element is in its place, giving it maximum effectiveness with minimal verbal cost.
And if classical Arabic rhetoric classified its tools into meaning, eloquence, and embellishment, the language of the Quran pushes the contemporary scholar to broaden the lens to include concepts of textual linguistics—cohesion and coherence, reference and linkage, information management and focalization—since all these come together to explain how the text remains effective in renewed pragmatic contexts. With the recent developments in discourse analysis, phonetics, and rhythm, researchers are afforded a more detailed examination of the relationship between phonetic structure and semantic function, as well as the observation of the "cognitive effort economy" that explains why the meaning in Quranic compositions reaches the listener's mind with the utmost ease, despite the elevated status and profound significance.
In summary, the rhetoric in the language of the Quran is not merely an aesthetic outcome, but a precise communication system that coordinates phonetic, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and argumentative levels, producing a discourse with both cognitive and emotional density. This system is based on an arrangement as a theory of distributing relationships, on the appropriateness of the situation as a guide for choosing forms, and on figurative representation as a bridge between the abstract and the concrete. Thus, the study of Quranic rhetoric remains an open field for integrating the Arabic critical heritage with modern linguistics, preserving the uniqueness of the text and providing more precise tools to uncover the secrets of its performance. With this perspective, "the rhetorical miracle" becomes a scientific description of the economy of expression and the richness of meaning, not a mere rhetorical claim; for the textual realities themselves prove it through their precise selection, wise arrangement, appropriateness to the context, and harmony of levels. This is rhetoric when it is understood in its most complete form.